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Lying on left side

Hello. During my first pregnancy, my obstetrician advised me to lie on my left side. This was rather uncomfortable for me since I am used to lying on my back. May I ask why must pregnant women need to lie on their left side?

Thank you for your interesting question. From the second trimester onwards it is advised that pregnant women do not sleep on their backs. This is because the weight of the uterus pressing down on the spine makes back problems more likely and it may also reduce the blood circulation for the baby. Laying on your back in pregnancy can also make you feel faint and affect your blood pressure levels.

Laying on your left hand side is recommended because this improves the blood flow and nutrients getting to the baby. It also helps the baby to get into a better position for the birth (which subsequently means labour is more likely to be shorter and smoother).

Some women find that extra pillows or a pregnancy support pillow helps them to lay comfortably on their left hand side as pregnancy progresses.

Greetings, LJ. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my query. (Yes, I am a widow with an adolescent son. I lost my husband to lung cancer in 2005.)
Now, it's clear to me why pregnant women must lie on their left side.

Also, lying on your back later on in pregnancy can cause issues with acid reflux as well. This may be too much information but I remember waking up choking on acid when I was pregnant with my youngest and each time, I had rolled to my back in my sleep. I spoke with my doctor and was prescribed anti-acids but this is another reason why you should try to sleep on your side, rather than on your back during the last two trimesters of pregnancy.

Thanks for your reply. I didn't find that arranging pillows differently or using a support pillow helped much. I just got to a point where I'd wake myself up when I'd roll to my back and I'd simply just roll back to my side.